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Expand Up @@ -7,32 +7,75 @@ tags: ["public cloud", "aws", "eks hybrid nodes"]
sidebar_position: 3
---

This guide explains how to prepare on-premises Edge Hosts for use as Amazon EKS Hybrid Nodes within the Spectro Cloud ecosystem. There are two main ways to register these hosts:
This guide explains how to prepare on-premises edge hosts for use as Amazon EKS Hybrid Nodes within the Spectro Cloud ecosystem. There are two available methods to register these hosts:

1. [**Agent Mode**](../../../../../deployment-modes/agent-mode/agent-mode.md)
2. [**Appliance Mode**](../../../../../deployment-modes/appliance-mode.md)
- [Agent Mode](../../../../../deployment-modes/agent-mode/agent-mode.md) using connected mode installation.
- [Appliance Mode](../../../../../deployment-modes/appliance-mode.md)

Agent Mode installs a lightweight agent on existing systems, and Appliance Mode deploys a fully managed OS and stack. Choose the approach that aligns best with your operational and security requirements.
Agent Mode installs a lightweight agent on existing systems, and Appliance Mode deploys a fully managed operating system (OS) and stack. Choose the approach that aligns best with your operational and security requirements.

## Prerequisites
## Agent Mode

Before you begin, ensure the following:
In Agent Mode, you install the Palette agent on your existing host OS. This agent communicates with the Spectro Cloud control plane to manage configurations, updates, and workloads.

1. **Infrastructure**:
- You have physical or virtual servers ready to act as Edge Hosts.
- The physical or virtual server resources meet the recommended guidelines.
2. **OS and Dependencies**:
- Compatible operating system (e.g., Ubuntu, CentOS, or a supported Linux distribution).
- Correct versions of Docker/Containerd, Kubernetes tooling (if needed), etc.
3. **Network Connectivity**:
- Verify that the Edge Host has outbound connectivity to Spectro Cloud services and AWS endpoints.
- Ensure any firewalls or proxies are configured to allow necessary ports/protocols.
4. **Spectro Cloud Access**:
- You have an account and the necessary permissions in Spectro Cloud to register and manage Edge Hosts.
The key benefits of Agent Mode are:

## Agent Mode
- Minimal overhead on the host OS.
- Easier to integrate with custom OS configurations.
- Agent updates can be rolled out seamlessly from the Spectro Cloud console.

### Prerequisites

#### Infrastructure

- You have physical or virtual servers ready to be used as edge hosts.
- The physical or virtual server resources meet the [Minimum Device Requirements](../../../../../deployment-modes/agent-mode/architecture.md#minimum-device-requirements).
- The server has at least one IP address assigned.

#### OS and Dependencies

- You must have a supported OS installed on your edge hosts. Palette supports the same operating systems as AWS. Refer to [Prepare operating system for hybrid nodes](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/eks/latest/userguide/hybrid-nodes-os.html) for details.
- The FIPS-compliant version of Agent Mode is only available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL).
- Ensure the following software is installed and available:

- [bash](https://www.gnu.org/software/bash/)
- [jq](https://jqlang.github.io/jq/download/)
- [Zstandard](https://facebook.github.io/zstd/)
- [rsync](https://github.com/RsyncProject/rsync)
- [systemd](https://systemd.io/)
- [systemd-timesyncd](https://www.freedesktop.org/software/systemd/man/latest/systemd-timesyncd.service.html). This is
required if you want Palette to manage Network Time Protocol (NTP). If you don't want Palette to manage NTP, you can
skip this requirement.
- [systemd-resolved](https://www.freedesktop.org/software/systemd/man/latest/systemd-resolved.service.html). This is
required if you want Palette to manage Domain Name System (DNS). If you don't want Palette to manage DNS, you can
skip this requirement.
- [systemd-networkd](https://www.freedesktop.org/software/systemd/man/latest/systemd-networkd.html). This requirement
is specific for clusters that use static IP addresses. You also need this if you want Palette to manage the Edge
host network.
- [iptables](https://linux.die.net/man/8/iptables)
- [rsyslog](https://github.com/rsyslog/rsyslog). This is required for audit logs.

<br />

:::warning

In Agent Mode, you install a lightweight Spectro Cloud agent on your existing host OS. This agent communicates with the Spectro Cloud control plane to manage configurations, updates, and workloads.
Avoid installing [Docker](https://www.docker.com/) on the host where you want to install the agent. Docker is a heavyweight tool that could
interfere with the Palette agent.

:::

- Ensure that the host has `Bash` configured as the default shell.

#### Network Connectivity

- Verify that you can access the edge host through SSH.
- Verify that the edge host has outbound connectivity to Spectro Cloud [services](../../../../../architecture/palette-public-ips.md) and [ports](../../../../../architecture/networking-ports.md#network-ports).
- Verify that the edge host has outbound connectivity to the required AWS [domains and ports](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/eks/latest/userguide/hybrid-nodes-networking.html#hybrid-nodes-networking-on-prem) (**Access required during hybrid node installation and upgrade** & **Access required for ongoing cluster operations**).
- Verify that the edge host can has outbound access to the internet.

#### Palette Registration Token

- You will need a Palette tenant registration token. Refer to the [Create a Registration Token](../../../../edge/site-deployment/site-installation/create-registration-token.md) guide for instructions on how to create a token.

### Steps to Register Edge Host in Agent Mode

Expand All @@ -46,19 +89,19 @@ In Agent Mode, you install a lightweight Spectro Cloud agent on your existing ho
- Initiate the registration process, which may generate a one-time token or registration command.
- Paste the registration token/command into the host CLI if needed.

3. **Validate Connection**
- Check the Spectro Cloud dashboard to confirm the new Edge Host is listed as “Online” or “Healthy.”
- Run any required health checks to ensure the agent has the necessary permissions and network access.
### Validate

**Benefits of Agent Mode**
- Minimal overhead on the host OS.
- Easier to integrate with custom OS configurations.
- Agent updates can be rolled out seamlessly from the Spectro Cloud console.
- Check the Spectro Cloud dashboard to confirm the new edge host is listed as “Online” or “Healthy.”
- Run any required health checks to ensure the agent has the necessary permissions and network access.

## Appliance Mode

In Appliance Mode, you deploy a prepackaged Spectro Cloud appliance image (often an ISO or OVA) onto your bare-metal or virtual infrastructure. The appliance includes an embedded OS and the Spectro Cloud stack, providing a more controlled, consistent runtime environment.

### Prerequisites



### Steps to Register Edge Host in Appliance Mode

1. **Obtain the Appliance Image**
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -91,10 +134,10 @@ In Appliance Mode, you deploy a prepackaged Spectro Cloud appliance image (often

## Summary

Preparing Edge Hosts for Amazon EKS Hybrid Nodes with Spectro Cloud can be done via **Agent Mode**, which installs a lightweight agent on existing systems, or **Appliance Mode**, which deploys a fully managed OS and stack. Each approach offers different benefits in terms of simplicity, control, and consistency.
Preparing edge hosts for Amazon EKS Hybrid Nodes with Spectro Cloud can be done via **Agent Mode**, which installs a lightweight agent on existing systems, or **Appliance Mode**, which deploys a fully managed OS and stack. Each approach offers different benefits in terms of simplicity, control, and consistency.

## Next Steps

1. Pick the registration mode (Agent or Appliance) best suited to your infrastructure.
2. Complete the setup.
3. Validate connectivity, performance, and security for your Edge Hosts once registered.
3. Validate connectivity, performance, and security for your edge hosts once registered.
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Expand Up @@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ Before Palette can manage your Amazon EKS cluster and Amazon EKS Hybrid Nodes, y

## Resources

Use the following resources to help prepare your environment:
Use the following resources to help prepare your environment.

<!-- - [Prepare Network](./prepare-network.md)
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